# PERSONA 4 the Animation (2011)

> A transfer student in a quiet rural town joins a group of classmates to solve murders that are linked to a mysterious world inside the television.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/42052

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 25
- Episode runtime: 25 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: animation, mystery, fantasy
- Network: MBS
- Cast: Daisuke Namikawa, Showtaro Morikubo, Yui Horie, Ami Koshimizu, Tomokazu Seki, Rie Kugimiya, Kappei Yamaguchi, Romi Park
- TMDB rating: 7.6/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2387612/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: eerie, atmospheric, comforting, playful, tense

## What critics say

Audiences rate the single season positively, with its mystery plot and cast of teen investigators drawing a loyal following despite a modest rating count.

## Synopsis

Persona 4 the Animation (2011-2012) is a Japanese animated supernatural mystery series created for MBS, adapted from the video game of the same name. It follows transfer student Yu Narukami (voiced by Daisuke Namikawa), who moves to the rural town of Inaba to live with his uncle, only to find a string of murders and kidnappings sweeping the countryside. Alongside classmates Yosuke Hanamura (Showtaro Morikubo), Chie Satonaka (Yui Horie) and Rise Kujikawa (Rie Kugimiya), he forms a small team of teenage investigators when the police stall. Their engine is a case-by-case hunt for the killer, with each episode built around new suspects, interviews and clues that gradually reveal a hidden connection to the local weather and a strange world reached through the television screen. The series runs twenty-five episodes as one serialized story across a single season, mixing the rhythm of a slice of life high school comedy with the unease of a small town thriller. Its tone is eerie and atmospheric but warm in its friendships, and its style follows the Japanese anime tradition of stylized character design and moody nighttime Inaba. Fans of Twin Peaks, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Mirai Nikki will find resonance in its blend of small town dread and teen sleuthing.

## Shows like PERSONA 4 the Animation

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- [The Twelve Kingdoms (2002)](https://ember.film/tv/39009)
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- [PERSONA5 the Animation (2018)](https://ember.film/tv/67169)
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